Trousers-supporter.



L. WOODS.

TROUSERS'SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED 0Ec.1.1916- Patented July 16, 1918.

LEN TOR. am 24W.

"71 1nvizssm:

JV/dATTORNEY.

unrrfn STATES LEONARD WOODS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TROUSERS-SUPPORTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, LEONARD Woons, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trousers-Supporters, of which the following is a specification, reference'being had therein to the accompanying drawing. M

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in trouser supports, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter described and explained.

The main object of my invention is to support the trousers comfortably and eiiiciently: another object is to keep the shirt from crawling upward. Other belts with various attachments have been employed to support the trousers, but my improvements allow the belt to be loosely worn below the waist line and thus allow'free extension of the abdomen, while the trousers are as securely supported as when suspenders are employed; at the same time, any tendency of the shirt to crawl upward is overcome.

Referring to the drawing on which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts,

Figure 1 designates a belt embodying my improvements with portions of the shirt clipped thereto;

Fig. 2 a diagrammatic view of the body and the belt as it is designed to be worn, indicating its relative position as to the shirt and trousers;

Fig, 4: a flap to be fastened to the shirt for convenient engagement by said clip;

Fig. 5 a portion of the belt opposite the hip joint, carrying my improved attachment and indicating one means for adjusting the trousersat various heights relative to said belt;

Fig. 6 a detail of a collar or plate for mounting on the belt and shown in face and edge view; and

Fig. 7 a cross-section of the belt and one of the collars showing the method of clamping the wire strut therein, and one means for adjusting the height of the trousers with regard to said belt,the trousers and shirt being indicated by broken lines.

' The numeral 1 designates a belt which is adjustable to the size of the wearer by the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed December 1, 1916. Serial N 0. 134,354.

tion of the abdomen, as required by athletes and singers for deep breathing. 3 is a plate collar designed to be stamped out of one piece of metal, and at the same time embossed with a band 4 near the top, and a socket 5 near the bottom leaving an inter mediate portion of said collar. When the ends 6 and 7 have been bent backward horizontally and then to a vertical position they are adapted to embrace a belt as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, and the sectional View Fig. 7. In the act of stamping said plate to emboss the said band and socket on the base thereof, an opening is formed in both band and socket, adapted to receive one lower end of a bent wire formed with legs 8 and 9, that diverge from an eye 10, located approximately in the middle of the wire, and provided with a guide 11 above the eye, adapted to facilitate the insertion of a neck 12 of a button, stud or other device, adapted to fit in said eye as indicated in Fig. 5. These legs and eye constitute a strut, and the sliding collars to said legs allow the legs to be spread more or less apart, according to the position on thebelt of the collar; so that the two collars and the legs that are carried by them, may be located behind and in front of a hip joint. The forward leg 9 is bowed outward as shown in Fig. 5, as it has been found in practical service, that such bowed condition is desirable to accommodate forward movement of the trunk from the pivot of the hip joints. The wider apart the collars of each strut are separated on the belt, the lower the eye, and hence the lower the height of the strut, and therefore of the trousers having the studs attached thereto. As an additional adjustment in height of trousers, such as trousers having a higher or lower waist line, a series of studs secured to a thin plate of stiff material 13, which may be sewed to the inside of the trousers as indicated in Fig. 7, may be employed. The engagement of the eye of the strut with any stud may therefore be readily made, and the height of the trousers band above the belt, will be adjusted accordingly. h V

In the manufacture of this device, the legs of the strut may be clamped in the respective sockets by pressure on the band and socket before mentioned, so as to distort the wire or form shoulders therein, which will prevent disengagement. Or if desired, the purchaser may himself compress the band and socket upon each leg of the strut, after he has decided what height of strut will best suit his convenience, and has cut off the legs accordingly. Thus not only may the height of the-strut, but the location of the collars supporting the strut, be readily' varied to suit the individual, since the ends 6 and 7 of the-collar, may bebentj inward against the belt to keep the collar from sliding 'after it has once been adjusted to proper, or convenient, location on the belt. It will be seen from Fig. 7 that the strut is all 'in one plane,-that is, the eye, legs-and front ofthe collar although the belt may be curved to suit, the body of: the wearer, yet the said attachment presents no obstruction'to wear the garments adjacent, or interfere with the comfort of the wearer.

I have found by practical use, that a strut at each side of the body and located substantially as described above, furnishes ample support to the trousers of the wearer; in some cases however the wearer may desire a support at the back, or the front, or both; and I therefore show a strut of a substantially similar construction, attached to the front and the back of the belt in Fig. 1. These latter struts however, may have the legs symmetrical, that is, both legs like 8 in Fig. 5, as it is evident that the bowed leg 9 isnot required'in a strut mounted at the front or the back of the belt.

.Having thus indicated and described the connection and relation of my belt to the trousers, Iwill now present another feature 7 of my invention,namely, the support of said belt looselyencircling the body of they wearer, and yet obviating the usual tendency of the shirt to crawl upward. 14 designates a vertical U-shaped clip forming a stiff spring, preferably connected by arms 15 and 16. running backward horizontally from the clip to the hinge 17, where they are preferably bent toward and overlap each other, with their ends projecting forward as shown in Fig. 3. This hinge 'portion 17, when passed through a perforation in the belt in Fig. 1, forms thepivot on which the clip turns. The clip 14 is of such size and shape as to .clipfirmlyto the belt, afoldedpoitio'n or flap ofthe shirt, that is drawn outward below the lower edge of the belt, upward in front of the belt, a'nd downwardbehind the top edge of the belt,

as indicated in Fig. 1. This engagement of theshirtand belt is made preferably at the front adjacent to the side struts, but may also be made at the back as indicated in Fig.- 1; and by such engagement of belt and shirt, the belt is supported at any desired height, and the weight of the belt and the trousers supported by the belt, is trans:

ferred to the shoulders as indicated by the broken lines in Fig.- 2. Therefore it is not necessary, in my construction, to depend on the tightness of thebelt to maintain the belt and trousers in position, but my belt may be of'an-y degree of looseness upon the body of the wearer, since the engagement of the belt and shirt prevent the former from slipping down, and the consequent sagging of the trousers. The additional comfort securedjby my device is evident, and it will be noted that the tension on the shirt is directly above the portion or flap of the shirt in the grip of the clip,- and if such points of engagement are substantially as indicated in the drawing, no downward pull is exertedon the; collar, but practically all of it is receivedat the shoulders; at the same time any tendency of the shirt front to crawl upward is overcome. v

For convenience, a piece of tape 18 of suitable length,rmay be sewed at its upper end to a portion'of the shirt at such point where it will come opposite a clip, and said tape may be carried under thebeltand folded over the top and held by the clip,- in the samev way as the folded portion of the shirt itself. It has also been found by-experience, that the front arm 16 of the pre ferred form of clip, should be bent outward at19 soas to clear the folded'portion of the shirt and allow the vertical clip 14; to exert a full clamping action upon the folded portion of the shirt, as above described. For convenience of disengagement, the upper end 20 of the clip 14: is bent outward so as to form a finger hold. I do not confine myself to the exact shape or construction herein shown.

lclaim: I g 7 1..A-trousers support comprising a belt, and Wirestruts'carried by'said belt at suitable intervals,tWo of said struts being respectively located so as to come opposite the hip joints of the wearer, and each consisting of an open eye with depending legs, the forward leg being bowed to accommodate forward movement of the body above the hip joints, and the rearward leg diverging backward, so as to spread said legs on opposite sides of the hip joint when in use, substantially as and for the purpose described. U p

'2. A trousers support comprising a: belt, collars mounted on said belt, and wire struts carried by said collar,;'each collar consisting ofaplate portion having ends embracing said belt and having a band and a socket struck out from the face so as to form openings through which the end of a strut may be inserted and distorted by clamping pressure thereon.

3. A trousers support comprising a belt designed to be worn between shirt and trousers, struts mounted on said belt at suitable intervals, and clips pivotally mounted on said belt, and each consisting of a stifl spring of U-shape, vertically disposed, With arms running back to the pivot connection with the belt,one arm being fiat on the inside of the belt, and the outer arm being turned outward near the spring, substan- 15 LEONARD WOODS.

Witness H. M. PLAISTED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

